Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the courts are applying drink-driving rehabilitation programmes as part of sentencing procedure and whether it is monitoring uptake of such programmes.

Mr Jim Wallace: In 2001, Scottish courts referred 562 offenders to the Drink Driving Rehabilitation Scheme as part of the sentencing procedure. In 2002, this number had increased to 1,487. The scheme itself is reserved under section 34A of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, and it is the Department for Transport which monitors the provision of courses nationally, including the amount of referrals by courts in England, Scotland and Wales, the number of courses run and the total number of offenders completing a course.

Education

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many school leavers had no national qualification to Scottish Credit Qualification Framework level 3 or better in academic year 2001-02.

Nicol Stephen: The information requested is not yet available for the academic year 2001-02. It will be made public in the Statistics Publication Notice, School Attainment and Qualifications of School Leavers in Scotland: 2001-02, on 25 March 2003.

  The Statistics Publication Notice will be available on the Scottish Executive website and a hard copy will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Enterprise

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many sector skills councils are currently in place and how many will be in place by the end of (a) 2003, (b) 2004 and (c) 2005.

Iain Gray: There are presently five Trailblazer Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) in place, provisionally licensed to March 2004, and a further nine aspirant SSCs in development. The Sector Skills Development Agency expects to have (a) 10 SSCs licensed by September 2003, (b) a further eight by March 2004 and (c) a further five by March 2005.

Enterprise

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Sector Skills Development Agency has the experience and expertise to provide the services previously provided by other bodies such as Sector Skills Alliance Scotland and, if not, how long it will take to develop the necessary expertise.

Iain Gray: The role of the Sector Skills Development Agency is to guide, core-fund and monitor the evolving sector skills council network. Its role is independent of that of other bodies such as Sector Skills Alliance Scotland.

Enterprise

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27797 by Iain Gray on 19 August 2002, when it will publish the feasibility study undertaken by Paisley Enterprise Research Centre on establishing a National Centre for Women’s Enterprise.

Iain Gray: The Executive plans to publish the feasibility study in March 2003.

Enterprise

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27798 by Iain Gray on 19 August 2002, whether it will establish a national centre for women’s enterprise to promote new businesses run by women and disseminate best practice.

Iain Gray: The Executive is currently considering the case for a national centre for women's enterprise and I hope to announce a decision on the way forward in March.

Enterprise

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any input into the Department of Trade and Industry’s Women’s Enterprise Strategic Framework due to be published shortly and how it intends to respond to the recommendations in this report.

Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive has provided an input to the development of the Department of Trade and Industry’s Women’s Enterprise Strategic Framework. The Executive is currently considering the draft framework for Scottish interests.

Enterprise

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a strategy for promoting businesses run by women.

Iain Gray: Within the framework of A Smart, Successful Scotland , the Executive is strongly committed to encouraging and supporting women in business. A range of new measures was introduced by Scottish Enterprise under its New Approach to Entrepreneurship strategy, launched last year. At a strategic level this includes specific targets for the number of start-ups by women supported by the network, together with practical promotional activity, for example the Executive and Scottish Enterprise jointly funding a brochure promoting successful women entrepreneurs last year.

Enterprise

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24446 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 16 April 2002, what percentage of microcredit loans for start-up businesses go to women.

Iain Gray: While this is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise, I understand that there are currently 19 microcredit groups operating across the Scottish Enterprise area supporting some 149 clients. Approximately 92% of the clients are women.

Enterprise

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who, or what body, will represent the collective interests of sectors skills councils.

Iain Gray: Any collective representation of the interests of sector skills councils is a matter for those employer-led councils to determine for themselves.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has sought advice from Her Majesty's Government about what the criteria are in respect of a member state having fishing interests in a certain sea area or fishing zone as referred to in Article 31(2) of EU Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002.

Ross Finnie: No.

Health

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the patients ready for discharge, as specified by the Information and Statistics Division of the Common Services Agency on 15 October 2002, were 65 and over.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is contained in-patient s Ready for Discharge in NHSScotland – figures from 15 October 2002 census (Chart 5), published by ISD Scotland on 17 January 2003. This information is available at:

  http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/isd/Joint_futures/delayed_discharges/ready_for_discharges.htm.

Health

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients were affected by delayed discharge in each of the last two years.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information on the total number of all patients who experienced a delayed discharge over a period of time (for example, a year) is not centrally available. Information is only available on the number of patients experiencing a delayed discharge at given points in time, i.e. the quarterly census points. This information is published by the Information and Statistics Division of the Common Services Agency on a quarterly basis, and is available at:

  http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/isd/Joint_futures/delayed_discharges/ready_for_discharges.htm.

Health

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much having patients ready for, but still awaiting, discharge from an NHS hospital cost the NHS (a) in total and (b) per person in each of the last three years.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not centrally available. The available information on delayed discharges is published on a quarterly basis by the Information and Statistics Division of the Common Services Agency and is available at:

  http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/isd/Joint_futures/delayed_discharges/ready_for_discharges.htm.

Health

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33365 by Malcolm Chisholm on 3 February 2003, what the NHS board and profession is of each staff member called up in anticipation of military action in Iraq, as requested in that question.

Malcolm Chisholm: Providing the information sought, at the level of specific NHS boards, might enable individual members of staff to be identified. I am, therefore, unable to provide the information in the form requested.

Individual Learning Accounts

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the investigation into fraudulent activity involving the individual learning account scheme has been completed and, if not, when the investigation will be complete.

Iain Gray: Investigations into potentially fraudulent activity have not yet been completed. Crown Office advises that the investigative process is likely to be a lengthy one and I cannot yet say when it will be completed.

Individual Learning Accounts

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many learning providers under the individual learning account scheme have been identified as having been involved in fraudulent activity and what this figure represents as a proportion of the total number of accounts opened.

Iain Gray: Fraud has not yet been proven in relation to any learning provider, although investigations are on-going in a number of cases. It is not, therefore, possible to state the proportion of fraudulent activity in relation to accounts opened. It will ultimately be a matter for the Procurator Fiscal Service to decide whether proceedings should be raised, and for the courts to determine whether fraud has been committed.

Individual Learning Accounts

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) reports have been referred to procurators fiscal and (b) arrests have been made in relation to identified fraudulent activity involving the individual learning account scheme.

Iain Gray: Search warrants have been executed in respect of a number of learning providers who are presently being considered by Crown Office, ahead of possible referral to procurators fiscal. A large quantity of documentation and computer records has been recovered, analysis of which is likely to be a lengthy task. No case has yet been referred to procurators fiscal and it is understood that no arrests have yet been made.

Individual Learning Accounts

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all monies owed to learning and training providers under the individual learning account scheme have been paid and, if not, which providers are still awaiting outstanding payments and how much is outstanding in each case.

Iain Gray: Where claims have been satisfactorily validated payment, or offer of payment, has been made.

Individual Learning Accounts

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many job losses have occurred to date as a result of the termination of the individual learning accounts scheme and how it calculated this figure.

Iain Gray: I am unable to comment on the number of job losses which may have occurred due to the individual learning account scheme's withdrawal, as this information is not held centrally.

Individual Learning Accounts

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what compensation scheme it will introduce for small businesses that provided training under the individual learning account scheme and incurred losses as a result of payment delays while investigations took place into fraudulent activity under the scheme and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Iain Gray: There are no plans at present for any compensation scheme for learning providers in respect of the individual learning account scheme. While payment delays were incurred when the scheme was closed, it was essential that thorough investigations were undertaken, to establish the scale and extent of the problems and to protect the public purse.

Individual Learning Accounts

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost has been of the investigation into fraudulent activity under the individual learning account scheme; what amount has been budgeted for any further investigations, and from which departmental budget such amounts will be met.

Iain Gray: Investigations into potentially fraudulent and irregular activity under the individual learning account (ILA) scheme have not yet been concluded. Until they are, the total cost of the investigations cannot be established. While a specific budget for the investigations has not been set, the cost-effectiveness of the process is being kept under review. Direct costs, thus far, have been met from the ILA budget administered by the enterprise networks on behalf of the Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department.

Individual Learning Accounts

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements it is considering for inclusion in the administrative structure of a successor to the individual learning account scheme to overcome any difficulties experienced in the first.

Iain Gray: My department has undertaken a thorough review of the original individual learning account scheme, drawing on independent evaluation and extensive stakeholder consultation. The new scheme will incorporate a range of improvements, taking full account of the lessons learned from our experience of the first scheme. I will say more on this when I have had the opportunity to consider the recommendations of the Audit Scotland report on the first individual learning account scheme in Scotland, which is due to be published shortly.

Landfill

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish plans for the distribution of funds from the new landfill tax credit scheme following the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s pre-budget report 2002 that states that the Executive will be responsible for the funds from April 2003.

Ross Finnie: I announced the Executive's plans to establish an interim fund to support sustainable waste management (category c and cc) projects currently funded by landfill tax credits on 3 February 2003.

  The Executive expects to receive a Barnett share of the £100 million public spending scheme announced by the Chancellor. This will be allocated to expenditure on National Waste Strategy objectives in Scotland. The mechanism for distributing these funds will be announced in due course.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what specialist services are provided in each NHS board area for the diagnosis and treatment of perinatal mental illness.

Malcolm Chisholm: While this is primarily a matter for local NHS systems, there is evidence that progress is being made locally in the provision of perinatal services. This includes the introduction of nurse consultants specialising in perinatal mental illness and the development of integrated care pathways (ICPs) for the early detection and management of perinatal mental health problems.

  However, I realise that there is further work to be taken forward in this area and, in December 2002, I asked NHS Scotland’s regional planning groups to consider the benefits of providing joint admission in-patient services for post-natal depression on a shared, regional, basis. This issue will be an agenda item for the regional partnership networks, which bring together the Chief Executives of the five NHS boards in each Scottish region. Progress will be assessed in April.

  The Mental Health and Well Being Support Group is also monitoring strategic planning of perinatal services throughout NHS Scotland.

NHS Hospitals

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will appoint a special NHS board to manage the National Golden Jubilee Hospital and who it will appoint to this board.

Malcolm Chisholm: The National Waiting Times Centre Board (Scotland) Order 2000 (2002 Number 305), which came into force on 27 June 2002, established the hospital as a Special Health Board.

  Substantive appointments to the board will be made in accordance with the procedures agreed with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. That process is under way.

Pay Levels

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its employees are paid the national minimum wage.

Mr Andy Kerr: All staff in the Scottish Executive core departments are paid above the national minimum wage.

Pay Levels

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on the level of pay currently applicable to staff employed by contractors operating under contract to it and on how these levels of pay compare to its employees in comparable posts.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive normally buys goods and services from contractors at market prices, following open and competitive procurement. It does not hold information on its contractors’ current levels of pay, nor does it monitor its contractors’ rates of pay, since such matters are generally for the contractor and its employees.

  It is generally not possible to draw meaningful comparisons between contractors on the basis of rates of pay, or between contractors and the Scottish Executive. Details of average pay rates may be examined during the bidding process where these are considered to have a bearing on the quality of service. Where there are doubts about whether wage levels contained within a contractor’s proposal could have an adverse impact on the quality of service required, the bid would not be accepted.

Pay Levels

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many public sector workers would have benefited if the national minimum wage had been set at £5.00 an hour.

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many public sector workers are still not in receipt of the national minimum wage.

Iain Gray: Responsibility for the national minimum wage is reserved to the UK Government. Such questions should be addressed to the Department of Trade and Industry.

Police

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many probationer police officers there have been in each police force in each of the last five financial years and in the current financial year to date.

Mr Jim Wallace: Information in the form requested is not held centrally.

  However, the following figures give a breakdown of entrants to probationer training at the Scottish Police College, in each of the past three years. Prior to 2000, figures were recorded for the whole of Scotland and not split between forces. Totals for 1998 and 1999 were 476 and 356 respectively.

  


Force 
  

Number of New Recruits 
  



2000 
  

2001 
  

2002 
  



British Transport Police 
  

6 
  

18 
  

16 
  



Central 
  

47 
  

21 
  

51 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

29 
  

34 
  

12 
  



Fife 
  

41 
  

75 
  

57 
  



Grampian 
  

82 
  

75 
  

 52 
  



Lothian and Borders 
  

174 
  

109 
  

173 
  



Northern 
  

20 
  

98 
  

42 
  



Strathclyde 
  

404 
  

378 
  

383 
  



Tayside 
  

61 
  

55 
  

65 
  



Scotland 
  

864 
  

863 
  

851 
  



  Note:

  Recruits normally retain probationer status for around two years.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive in which performance quarters the maximum limit of 5% of contract price for performance revenue deductions, as referred to in the second paragraph of Schedule F to the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Limited for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock , has been applied since operation of HM Prison Kilmarnock began and what the performance revenue deduction would have been in each case had there been no such maximum limit.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Quarters 1, 2 and 3 of performance year 1 and performance quarters 1, 2 and 3 of performance year 4.

  The contract does not provide for the calculation of performance revenue deductions where no maximum limit applies; such a figure cannot therefore be calculated.

Renewable Energy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-32809 by Ross Finnie on 13 January 2003, on what date the survey "Public Attitudes Towards Wind Farms in Scotland" was withdrawn.

Ross Finnie: Information about the survey was removed from the Scottish Executive website on 21 November 2002, pending an investigation into the information that had been provided by a member of the public. A statement explaining that there had been an error in the data used to draw the results for the survey, that we had been advised that the conclusions had not been materially affected by this error, and that we had decided to commission a new survey, was posted on the Scottish Executive website on 6 December 2002.

Renewable Energy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what grid references were used to identify the wind power sites at Hagshaw Hill, Bein Ghlass, Novar and Windy Standard for sampling purposes in the survey "Public Attitudes Towards Wind Farms in Scotland" and how many people were interviewed at each of the four sites and in each of the 5 km, 10 km, and 20 km proximity zones.

Ross Finnie: The grid references used to identify the four wind farms were:

  


Hagshaw Hill 
  

NS780300 
  



Bein Ghlass 
  

NM970259 
  



Novar 
  

NH610670 
  



Windy Standard 
  

NS620010 
  



  An incorrect grid reference was used to identify Novar wind farm. The correct grid reference for Novar wind farm is NH570710.

  The following table shows the number of respondents interviewed, using the correct grid reference, within each of the proximity zones at each of the four wind farms.

  


Wind Farm 
  

0-5 km 
  

5-10 km 
  

10-20 km 
  

Total 
  



Hagshaw Hill 
  

8 
  

22 
  

38 
  

68 
  



Bein Ghlass 
  
 

45 
  

17 
  

62 
  



Novar 
  
 

207 
  

24 
  

231 
  



Windy Standard 
  
 

27 
  

3 
  

30 
  



Total 
  

8 
  

301 
  

82 
  

391

Renewable Energy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to publicise the withdrawal of the survey "Public Attitudes Towards Wind Farms in Scotland"

Ross Finnie: A message explaining the action that the Executive had taken was placed on the Scottish Executive website. My officials also notified the industry representative bodies.

Renewable Energy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether parties likely to become involved in applications to build wind farms have been advised that the survey "Public Attitudes Towards Wind Farms in Scotland" has been withdrawn and that references to this survey should be deleted from planning applications

Ross Finnie: Industry representative bodies were informed about the error in the data used in undertaking the survey. The content of applications for planning consent is a matter for those submitting the application.

Renewable Energy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-32809 by Ross Finnie on 13 January 2003, who is undertaking the new survey on public attitudes towards wind farms

Ross Finnie: Following a competitive tender process, a contract to undertake the new survey has been awarded to MORI.

Tourism

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff have been employed by VisitScotland and what the staff costs have been in each year since 1999, broken down by department and salary band.

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff (a) were recruited by and (b) left VisitScotland in each month since June 2002, broken down by department and salary band.

Mike Watson: This is an operational matter for VisitScotland.

Tourism

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether brown tourist signage indicating accommodation is sufficiently informative in relation to the type of accommodation available, given that such signs do not specify what type of accommodation is available and whether this practice is consistent with the Executive's position in respect of grading hostel accommodation from one to five stars.

Mike Watson: Commercial names on Thistle tourism signs are now being widely used to indicate the type of tourist accommodation or attraction being signposted. Only accommodation and other tourist facilities which are accredited under the VisitScotland Quality Assurance scheme can be signposted in this way; the VisitScotland Thistle logo is used to denote this.

Tourism

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive,  further to the answer to question S1W-30425 by Mike Watson on 25 November 2002, how many people have visited Scotland on holiday to participate in outdoor pursuits in each month of 2003 to date and what its estimate is of the total number of such visitors in 2002.

Mike Watson: The information requested is not available for each month. Complete statistical information on tourism in 2002 should be available early in April.